I AM SLAVE

Powerful … mesmerizing – The Sunday Times

“A film of jolting accuracy and real emotional clout” – The Daily Telegraph

“A stirring and important drama. Powerful performances”  - The Independent 

From the award winning team behind ‘Death Of A President’ and ‘The Last King Of Scotland’, ‘I Am Slave’ is a hard-hitting thriller about the horror and brutality of the modern day slave trade and one woman’s fight to escape from it.

Directed by Gabriel Range and written by Jeremy Brock, the film is based on the real-life experiences of a young African girl called Mende Nazer and will be released on retail DVD by High Fliers on August 22^nd. 


It stars Isaach De Bankole (‘24’; ‘Casino Royale’; ‘Miami Vice’), Wunmi Mosaku (‘Law & Order UK’; ‘Silent Witness’) and Lubna Azabal (’Body of Lies’; ‘Coriolanus’) and was nominated for a BAFTA at this year’s Awards.


The film tells the story of twelve-year-old Malia who is snatched from her father during a Muharaleen raid on their Sudanese village in the Nubar Mountains and sold into slavery to a woman in Khartoum.


After six years she is sent to London where her name is changed and her miserable life of servitude continues. She is stripped of her passport and living in fear of what might happen to her family if she tries to seek help, she once again finds herself completely trapped.


However, with the help of a complete stranger who is sympathetic to her plight, she eventually summons up the strength to make a dramatic escape back to the Sudan to find her father who never gave up hope that she was still alive and who never stopped searching for her.


  ‘I Am Slave’ has a run time of approx 82 minutes, a 15 (TBC) certificate and a recommended retail price of £12.99. 

Del Boy’s flat available to let in Peckham in celebration of Only Fools and Horses 30th anniversary from 30th August on Gold

Cushty 1981 prices available on request!

Relive every episode over thirty nights with the Only Fools at 30 season

Every night, 10pm from 30^th August on Gold

London, 23rd August 2011 -  In celebration of the 30th anniversary of beloved sitcom Only Fools and Horses on Gold, SE15’s most famous high-rise flat, previously home to Del Boy and Rodney Trotter, will be available to rent in the salubrious area of Peckham from today. 

Step back in time to 1981 and enter the Trotter’s humble abode which has been recreated in a secret tower block location in Peckham and is available from today until 4^th September for members of the public to rent at 1981 prices...a bargain £18 per night[i]!

The set from the award-winning TV show has been faithfully recreated with original props, furniture and costumes worn by the main characters. The interior decor is fitted out with the real headache-inducing carpet, curtains, armchairs and original paintings off the wall. It also features the iconic 1980s bar, complete with naff cigar jar, where Del served up classic cocktails including Creme de Menthe and Tizer and Baileys and Cherryade. 

Lucky fans of the show that get the opportunity to rent the flat overnight will also see additional memorable props on display including Del Boy’s sheepskin coat, dressing gown and the antique pocket watch that finally made the wheeler dealer Trotters millionaires.

Popular characters Boycie (John Challis), the nation’s favourite (and tightest!) second-hand car salesman, and his glamorous brassy wife, Marlene (Sue Holderness) visited the Gold Nelson Mandela flat this week to reminisce on 30 years of starring in the show.     

Speaking from the Gold Nelson Mandela House, Challis says “It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since it all began. It's the best sitcom there is! The show changed my life, and being back in the Gold Nelson Mandela House is incredible. I am enjoying reminiscing on all the hilarious scenes we filmed here and am so proud to have been a part of such an iconic show”.

Holderness adds, “I joined the show in 1984 and I loved playing Marlene. We had no idea after all these years the characters would become the national treasures they have. It’s amazing to be back here at the Gold Nelson Mandela House, spending time with John and seeing all the original props from the show. The recreation is brilliant, especially with so many of the original furnishings included – fans of the show are in for a real treat. ”

As the Gold Nelson Mandela House arrives in Peckham, Councillor Fiona Colley, cabinet minister for regeneration comments on the ‘radical’ change in the local area since the 1980s when the Trotters adventures brought Peckham into the spotlight.

She says, “People still associate Peckham with the Trotters but it has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. Despite being synonymous with high rise, about 3,000 flats were demolished in the late 1990s and Peckham is now a modern, vibrant and hugely popular location’. Anita Barry from the Peckham branch of Kinleigh, Folkard and Hayward adds ““My job is far easier these days as I only have to sell my tenant the house, whereas only a few years ago I had to sell the area as well, paying testament to the development of Peckham over the last 30 years.”

From today members of the Gold Facebook group www.facebook.com/goldtvchannel will be able to compete for the chance to rent Nelson Mandela House for the night sleeping in Del Boys prized satin sheets complete with lashings of tiger print! 

The arrival of the Gold Nelson Mandela House in Peckham marks the start of the Only Fools at 30 season on Gold, showing every episode over 30 days, every night at 10pm from 30^th August.

WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO BE INVOLVED IN A‘LOVE TRIANGLE’

             

·         25% of women have been in love with two people at the same time compared to only 15% of men

·         Of the people who have been involved in a ‘love triangle’, 35% of them involve two women/ one man whilst a much higher 53% involve two men/ one woman

·         The most wealthy are most likely to stray with almost half of those earning over £80k confessing to being involved with another, whilst in a relationship

·         People in the North East are the most promiscuous and most likely to stray compared to those who live in Wales who are much more loyal

Research revealed today (22^nd August) highlights that 25% of women have been caught up in a ‘love triangle’ compared to 15% of men. A staggering half of all Brits believe you can be in love with more than one person at a time.

The poll which was carried out to celebrate the joint DVD release of hit TV show The Vampire Diaries and film Red Riding Hood today, showed a shocking 23% of women have called off an engagement/ relationship to be with another person.  Only 15% of men admitted this being the case.

In the modern day and age, 18% of love triangles have originated on Facebook or Twitter.

The survey of 2,000 people showed that the highest earners (over £81K per annum) are the most likely to stray (42%) whereas people who earn the least money, less than £10K per annum are much more loyal and least likely too, proving that money really doesn’t mean everything in a relationship.

The research reveals that Geordies are most likely to be involved in a ‘love triangle’, with over half believing you can be in love with two people at the same time (57%). Whilst people living in Wales and Northern Ireland are the most faithful to their partners and believe you can only be in love with one person at a time (58%).

Jo Hemmings, relationship psychologist said “Love rat men have recently dominated the press with their antics; however this is only part of a bigger and more complex picture.  This research has shown that while men like these may be the biggest cheaters, driven by lust, opportunity and a misguided sense of entitlement, it is women, who tend to have a more complex view of relationships, and are most likely to get tangled up in the middle of a ‘love triangle’ between two men.  Women are often torn between the sensible and faithful men – the good guys – and the exciting and unpredictable temptations of the bad guys.  Fuelled by romanticised, fictional characters such as Big, Carrie and Aidan in Sex and the City and Elena, Damon and Stefan in the hit TV series, Vampire Diaries, they often don’t know which way to turn or which option to choose”

The survey was carried out to investigate whether popular TV and film relationships reflect real life. Storylines in films such Red Riding Hood and the TV series The Vampire Diaries involve central characters torn by their love for two men, and embroiled within complex love triangles.

Red Riding Hood is released on Blu-ray ™ Triple Play, DVD and digital download today. The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season is out on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download today. 

Top Regional Stats:

·         35% of people in the West Midlands have had two people fighting over them, compared to only 22% in Yorkshire and the Humber

·         50% of people from Northern Ireland and 35% from East Midlands started love triangles on social networks, compared to only 5% in the North East and 6% from Wales

·         In East Midlands love triangles, 53% involved two women and one man

·         In Wales 76% of love triangles involve two men and one woman

Survey was carried out between 5^th August – 9^th August 2011.

New interactive digital festival to take place in Plymouth in November

Extended Play 2011 is announced today as the Southwest's first, and only, digital interactive festival open to the public. It will take place at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth on 3rd – 5th November 2011, and celebrate the notion of ‘Play’ using digital media. A brainwave of the creative network Designed in Devon and organised by Ella Romanos, MD of local interactive studio Remode, the festival will deliver a two-day programme of inspiration and creativity, showcasing the region’s best talent within the gaming and interactive industries, while addressing some of the sector’s most current debates.

The theme for the inaugural festival is “games as a service,” exploring the challenges that the gaming industry faces today and in the future in terms of moving away from the provision of games as a single use product, to persistent online gaming, downloadable content and MMORPGs, as part of a longer term service provided to consumers.
 
The event will include industry speakers, sessions and a Game Jam for the public, as well as a Boot Camp for independent gaming studios, stimulating the region’s interactive industry. The festival will open with a keynote speech fromRichard Wilson, CEO of the UK games industry trade association TIGA, and continue with panel discussions that will include, Guardian games journalist Keith Stuart, Channel 4 Education commissioner Jo Twist, Preloaded Creative Director Phil Stuart, and BAFTA-winning designer Andrew Smith. More speakers and event information will continue to be announced at www.explay.co.uk.
Ella Romanos, MD of Remode and co-founder of Extended Play, says, “The team behind Extended Play all live, breathe and work in games. We are huge fans of Develop Indie Day and Flash on the Beach, and Extended Play is the result of our vision to create a complimentary annual event based in the Southwest. We are looking forward to participants creating, sharing and inspiring each other in what is the fastest growing, and in our minds, most exciting, sub-sector of creative industries – Games. The programme is shaping and shifting every day as we accept an ever-growing roster of inspirational speakers and participants, and we cannot wait to reveal all in November.”
 
Dr Richard Wilson, CEO, TIGA, says, “TIGA’s mission is to serve the interests of game developers and developer-publishers. All our activities are geared towards helping new interactive businesses in the UK grow, so I could not be more delighted to be involved in the first ever Extended Play festival, which will help enable games businesses to start up, grow and be more successful.”

Lemonade Mouth Live Web Chat

The cast of Disney’s movie Lemonade Mouth are in London this week and will be doing a live web chat this Wednesday. 

Smash hit movie Lemonade Mouth premieres on Friday 16^th September at 6pm on Disney Channel and Disney Channel HD. Check out http://www.disney.co.uk/lemonade-mouth/, and this Wednesday from 6:15pm (GMT) fans can tune in to Stardoll at http://bit.ly/qGd4XE and take part in a live video web chat with some of the cast who will be answering questions. Fans who want to enter a question will need to login or sign in on Stardoll.com, but they’ll still be able to see the webchat by clicking the link.

Following in the footsteps of High School Musical, Lemonade Mouth has proved a phenomenon in the U.S. - it’s currently the number 1 U.S cable Movie in 2011 and the movie’s soundtrack charted at number 1 on iTunes. Lemonade Mouth tells the story of 5 high school students - Olivia White (Bridgit Mendler), Mohini "Mo" Banjaree (Naomi Scott), Charles "Charlie" Delgado (Blake Michael), Stella Yamada (Hayley Kiyoko), and Wendell "Wen" Gifford (Adam Hicks) who all meet in detention. In detention, music teacher Ms. Reznik storms angrily out of the room to file a complaint with Principal Stanley Brenigan (Christopher McDonald). While cleaning the music room, the students start tapping out a beat. They begin to pick up instruments and Olivia begins to sing "Turn Up the Music." Ms. Reznik returns just as they finish. Expecting to get in trouble, they’re all surprised when Ms. Reznik praises them for being an great band and persuades them to continue making music.

The Lemonade Mouth soundtrack, featuring the hit track “Determinate”, is out now and the DVD is out on 26^th September.

BEN’S BACK IN HIS QUEST TO DEFEAT AGGREGOR

BEN 10: ULTIMATE ALIEN, VOLUME 2: HERO TIME
Available on DVD from 22^nd AUGUST 2011

Ben Tennyson returns with more exciting alien encounters set to challenge him and his friends in BEN 10: ULTIMATE ALIEN, VOLUME 2: HERO TIME, released on DVD on 22^nd August.

Back with another five action-packed episodes, the DVD picks up where Volume 1: Escape from Aggregor left off, with Ben 10’s biggest enemy back to full strength after regaining his powers. Ben is now an international, megastar superhero, but he is still learning to balance his fame with saving the universe.

Aggregor’s plans for the five alien fugitives now exposed, the series follows Ben and his friends as they battle to stop him from recapturing them. The gang face life-threatening challenges along the way, and must push themselves to the limit in their quest to save the galaxy.

What will happen when Kevin is tricked into freeing a radioactive menace from his containment suit? Will Ben regain control of his body after an alien fugitive enters the Ultimatrix?

Catch up with all of the Ben 10 action when BEN 10: ULTIMATE ALIEN, VOLUME 2: HERO TIME is released on DVD on 22^nd August 2011.

Episode Information:

1)      Too Hot to Handle: A radioactive alien menace tricks Kevin into freeing him from his containment suit, and this proves to be more dangerous than anyone expected.

2)      Andrea’s Fault: Alien con artist Argit returns, having tricked ‘The Forever Knights’ into working for him. Whilst Ben and his friends investigate, they discover another of Aggregor’s fugitives is involved.

3)      Fused: The fifth alien fugitive shows up and gets trapped inside the Ultimatrix, leaving Ben fighting for control of his body. Aggregor finally makes an appearance.

4)      Hero Time: Ben finds himself dating a famous young movie star after saving her life, but his childhood hero Captain Nemesis doesn’t like Ben stealing the spotlight and so challenges him to a ‘hero contest’. What could go wrong?

5)      Ultimate Aggregor: Aggregor finds a powerful energy force that could make him unstoppable, so Ben and his friends, along with some familiar faces, team up to put an end to Aggregor’s scheme.

VOLKSWAGEN CELEBRATES RELEASE OF JANE EYRE

 EXCLUSIVE, LOCATION-BASED GALA SCREENING

New British film set to be screened within original manor house location

A one-off, exclusive gala screening of Focus Features’ Jane Eyre is set to take place on Sunday, 4^th September at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire – one of the key locations featured in the new British film.

The event, the latest in Volkswagen’s See Film Differently series, will give film fans the chance to watch one of the year’s most highly anticipated British films before its general release in cinemas across the UK on Friday, 9^thSeptember.

Taking place within Haddon Hall – the venue chosen to portray the novel’s setting of Thornfield Hall, one of the central locations within the film – the screening is designed to provide film fans with a unique behind the scenes insight.

It follows original location screenings of An American Werewolf in London, held inside ZSL London Zoo, gangster classic Get Carter, shown at Newcastle Racecourse, Trainspotting, screened at the Royal Scottish Academy and A Clockwork Orange at Brunel University; all notable locations featured in the classic films.

In the bold new feature version of Jane Eyre, director Cary Joji Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) and screenwriter Moira Buffini (Tamara Drewe) infuse a contemporary immediacy into Charlotte Brontë’s timeless, classic story. Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) star in the iconic lead roles of the romantic drama, the heroine of which continues to inspire new generations of devoted readers and viewers.

In the 19^th Century-set story, Jane Eyre (played by Ms. Wasikowska) suddenly flees Thornfield Hall, the vast and isolated estate where she works as a governess for Adèle Varens, a child under the custody of Thornfield’s brooding master, Edward Rochester (Mr. Fassbender). The imposing residence – and Rochester’s own imposing nature – have sorely tested her resilience. With nowhere else to go, she is extended a helping hand by clergyman St. John Rivers (Jamie Bell of Focus Features’ The Eagle) and his family. As she recuperates in the Rivers’ Moor House and looks back upon the tumultuous events that led to her escape, Jane wonders if the past is ever truly past.

Those fortunate enough to attend will enjoy a pre-screening private viewing of Haddon Hall and Gardens and complimentary high-end cinema style food, followed by an exhibition of original stills from the film.

Tickets for the event are free and available courtesy of Volkswagen through an online ticket draw.  For the chance to win tickets, film fans should log on to www.seefilmdifferently.com, and register their interest.  Ticket applications close at midday on Friday, 26^th August and all lucky winners will be informed on the same day.  Tickets will be allocated at random.

Film fans can find out more about Volkswagen’s campaign and share their views on the events by visiting the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/seefilmdifferently. 

CINEWORLD GROUP plc interim results for 26 week period ended 30 June 2011

A strong finish to the first half with growth in revenues, EBITDA and market share

Cineworld Group plc (“Cineworld” or “the Group”) is pleased to announce its interim results for the 26 week period ended 30 June 2011. 

Financial

• Group revenue of £163.6m, up 1.0%  (2010: £162.0m);
• EBITDA1  £25.6m up 4.9% (2010: £24.4m);
• Operating profit at £13.0m after the impact of £3.2m of non-recurring and non-trade related costs (2010 operating profit: £14.8m);
• Reported EPS: 6.6p on a  proforma adjusted basis (2010: 6.8p)  and 3.6p on basic earnings (2010: 5.6p);
• Interim dividend of 3.6p per share up 5.9% (2010: 3.4p per share);
• Net debt reduced to £100.7m (June 2010: £115.5m);
• Successful refinancing of bank facility in March 2011 with a £170m facility over a 5 year term.

Operational

• Largest operator in the UK with a box office market share² of 26.4% (2010: 26.3%);
• UK/Ireland market share² increased during the period to 24.9% (2010: 24.2%);
• Box office receipts up 2.0% at £113.9m (2010: £111.7m);
• Admissions at 23.2m, up 2.2% (2010: 22.7m);
• Average ticket price at £4.91 per ticket (2010: £4.93);
• Average retail spend per person lower at £1.67 (2010: £1.71);

• Strong start to the second half of 2011, led by the success of Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Commenting on these results, Stephen Wiener, Chief Executive Officer of Cineworld Group plc, said:

“We are pleased to announce solid first half results where we achieved growth in both revenue and EBITDA despite a lower number of blockbuster and 3D film releases during the period. The resilient trading performance, together with a reduction in net debt, has resulted in the Group being in a sound financial position. Against this backdrop, we have again increased the interim dividend to our shareholders. 

The second half of the financial year has started strongly for the Group, with an excellent range of blockbusters and 3D films. The fourth quarter brings an exciting line up of releases with titles such as “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1”, “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” and “Sherlock Holmes 2”, as well as a promising 3D film slate including “The Adventures of Tin Tin: Secret of the Unicorn” and “Puss in Boots”.  

The strength of the film line up in the second half, coupled with our solid first half performance, underpins our confidence in performing in line with market expectations for the year and delivering further value to shareholders.“

Digital Radio Struggling as Digital TV Universally Adopted...

The percentage of people that own a digital television has risen dramatically from 65.7% in 2009 to 72.2% in 2011 according to Digital Broadcasting, a Key Note Market Report. On top of this, subscriptions to paid-for digital television services such as Sky and Virgin Media have also increased as people move away from the digital set-top box used to receive Freeview. However, when compared to the digital television market, digital radio has seen only modest increases in consumer penetration. In 2011, only a slightly higher proportion of respondents said that they owned a digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio when compared to figures in 2009 (48% compared with 45.2%). The digital radio industry’s problems are only increased by the fact that the Government’s pledge to switch over to digital radio by 2015 has been abandoned.

 

The reluctance by consumers to switch to DAB radios is somewhat of a mystery for the industry. For a small fee consumers can access hundreds more radio stations with no subscription, yet only there has only be a 2.8 percentage-point rise in the proportion of people who have invested in a DAB radio in 2 years. Clearly money is needed for a big awareness campaign to follow in the footsteps of the highly successful digital switchover campaign, which is coming to an end in 2012.

Key Note’s 2011 Market Report, Digital Broadcasting, considers the UK digital broadcasting market, focusing on the switch from analogue to digital television and radio, but also touching on other issues surrounding the digital broadcasting market.

In June 2011, Key Note commissioned NEMS Market Research to conduct an exclusive survey to understand the key issues associated with digital media and to assess its uptake in the home, questioning 1,000 adults aged 16 and over. Similar research can be found in previous Key Note reports.

Key Note Ltd has been providing commercially relevant market information to libraries, academia and businesses for almost 30 years. With over 1,000 titles available across 29 market sectors, and new or updated titles published every month, Key Note is one of the UK’s most prolific and respected business information providers. Within the range, some reports are written in response to particular market conditions, whereas other reports will be produced regularly year on year.

The Market Report 2011, Digital Broadcasting, is available to purchase from Key Note on 0845-504 0452, by e-mail at sales@keynote.co.uk or at , priced £460.

Lemonade Mouth

Lemonade Mouth, premieres in the UK this September! 

Following in the steps of High School Musical, Lemonade Mouth is the musical drama that stars British actress Naomi Scott together with Bridgit Mendler, Adam Hicks and Hayley Kiyoko, and tells the story of five high school students who meet in detention and form a band to stand up for their beliefs.

Stella (Hayley Kiyoko) immediately recognizes the potential for the group of friends to become a band, but first she must convince the reluctant group that they need to take a chance on expressing themselves. As the new friends learn more about each other, they discover their common belief that it's time for the students of Mesa High School to stand up and be heard -- all students, not just the popular athletes who benefit from Principal Brenigan's support of their extracurricular programs.

However, not everyone in the school is ready to welcome a new band; the school's popular rock group, Mudslide Crush, are determined to maintain their status as the school's leading entertainment choice.

From Birth to Teens: TV’s Earliest Years at BFI Southbank

Throughout September,  BFI  Southbank will celebrate the 75th  anniversary of a landmark in  
Television history that saw Britain  deliver the world’s first high definition, regular public television service. Together with  The  Alexandra Palace Television Society, the BFI will host a short season of early public demonstration films, plays, and documentaries plus rarely seen extracts from early films and stills on  display. 


In the 1930’s, there  was feverish activity across the globe as inventors, technicians and entrepreneurs sought to create the world’s first public television service. Great strides were being made in America, Russia, Germany, Japan and France, but it was Britain who emerged first. Although experimental services had been operating since the 1920’s, it was in November 1936 that the  BBC launched the world’s first high-definition, regular public television service following test transmissions at Radiolympia in August of that year.  The Television Age had begun.   


Television wasn’t invented by an individual but by the progressive and scientific minds of many, though there is no doubt that, in the UK, it was popularised by the Scottish inventor  John Logie Baird. His startling experiments made newspaper headlines and both him and his invention household names. When the BBC service launched in 1936, transmissions alternated between Baird’s mechanical system and Marconi EMI’s electronic equipment. Eventually the Marconi system was preferred, but Baird’s role in bringing TV to the public eye was of great importance in the development of a fully fledged public service. 

DocHouse Thursdays

From September, join us on DocHouse Thursdays to see why truth is more fascinating than any fiction.


DocHouse has joined forces with the Rich Mix, the Tricycle and Riverside Cinemas to bring the very best in award-winning international documentary to your doorstep. Screenings will also include exciting one-off events: director Q&As, panel discussions, workshops and/or short films.


There’s a new strand every month, launching in September with ‘David v Goliath’: three films that focus on individuals who dare to take on the Goliaths of social exploitation. The documentaries offer independent insights into major global issues, from street violence to deforestation and the bloody side of mobile phones. The season opens with Steve James’ award-winning The Interrupters and a lively panel, followed by Up in Smoke and Blood in the Mobile later in the month.


THE INTERRUPTERS, Riverside Studios, 8th Sept 7.30pm. Followed by a panel discussion.
Steve James / 2011 / USA / 125’
Special Jury Prize – Sheffield Doc/Fest 2011


If The Wire’s urban tapestries were real, they might look like this **** - Total Film
A breath-taking account of efforts to end the epidemic of violence in Chicago’s impoverished black communities. Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) follows the ‘violence interrupters’ who have curbed their own troubled pasts to try and protect their neighbourhood. We follow the impassioned representatives from the CeaseFire Project as they battle against the relentless bloodshed of modern gang culture to provide an option of real hope.


UP IN SMOKE, Tricycle Cinema, 15th Sept 8.30pm. Followed by a director Q&A.
Adam Wakeling / 2011 / UK / 70’
Special Mention – Sheffield DocFest 2011


Slash and burn farming is an environmental catastrophe on the rise. Around 250million domestic tropical farmers use the technique that gives a year’s fertile soil, which then washes away with the next year’s rains, perpetually forcing growers into fresh rainforest. Deforestation accounts for more carbon emissions than all international transport, and slash-and-burn accounts for around half of that. But there is an answer. Cornish scientist Mike Hands has been working with a sustainable solution in Honduras for the past 20 years. We follow his struggle to break the devastating cycle and challenge international agricultural agencies.




BLOOD IN THE MOBILE, Rich Mix, 22nd Sept 8pm. Preview screening followed by a director Q&A.


Frank Piasecki Poulsen/ 2010/ Denmark/ 85’


Justice Award – Cinema For Peace Festival 2011


We can’t live without our mobile phones, but their production has a dark and bloody side. Minerals used to make our mobiles come from mines in the Eastern DR Congo, funding a brutal civil war responsible for around 5 million deaths, atrocious child labour and some 300,000 rapes in the last 15 years. It’s a war that will continue as long as armed groups can trade the minerals. Director Frank Poulsen travels to Congo and gets access to its largest illegal tin-mine, where enslaved children dig for days in narrow tunnels. He then tries to confront Nokia, the world’s largest phone company. Are they implicated in trading 'conflict minerals'?


COMING SOON… October’s films are in association with Black History Month, with special screenings of cutting-edge documentaries exploring Africa’s past, present and future.


PRICE: £9 (£7 concession).


DOCHOUSE: The UK Centre for Documentary in the Cinema. DocHouse has been supporting and promoting independent documentary films and filmmakers for a decade, with screenings of outstanding international documentary films, masterclasses and events with leading documentary filmmakers, training courses in association with the NFTS and Dochistory events held in partnership with the BBC. www.dochouse.org


RIVERSIDE STUDIOS CINEMA: Riverside has been working with DocHouse for many years and it's a pleasure to see the audience's appetite for documentaries grow. Now we're joining forces with two other independent cinemas to offer the pick of international documentaries on a regular basis. It's official - Thursday is Docday on the London cinema circuit! Shira Macleod, Cinema Director, Riverside Studios. Box Office: 0208 237 1111 www.riversidestudios.co.uk


TRICYCLE THEATRE & CINEMA: We’re delighted to be part of DocHouse Thursdays, working in collaboration with Riverside Studios and Rich Mix to provide a platform for the fantastic programming of DocHouse. The Tricycle always strives to present work which exposes injustice and responds to contemporary political issues and we look forward to introducing our audiences to this series of compelling documentaries. Nicolas Kent, Artistic Director, Tricycle Theatre. Box Office: 020 7328 1000 www.tricycle.co.uk


RICH MIX: We look forward to starting this exciting partnership with DocHouse and two fellow independent London cinemas - The Tricycle and Riverside Studios. DocHouse Thursdays will enable us to give interesting and diverse documentaries the platform to tell their, often untold, stories to new audiences. Jane Earl, Chief Executive, Rich Mix Cinema and Arts Centre. Box Office: 020 7613 7498 www.richmix.org.uk

Dark Matter

 

‘Brilliant’ – Entertainment Weekly

‘Moving’ – New York Daily News

‘Captivating’ - Newsday 

The psychological thriller ‘Dark Matter’ is based on the Iowa University killings in 1991 when a Chinese student went on the rampage and shot dead four of the university’s leading academics.
The film stars multiple Academy Award winning legend Meryl Streep (‘Doubt’; ‘The Devil Wears Prada’; ‘Mamma Mia!’), Aidan Quinn (‘Desperately Seeking Susan’; ‘Legends of the Fall’; ‘Unknown’) and Liu Ye (‘City Of Life And Death’; ‘Curse Of The Golden Flower’).


Critically acclaimed by the media and a winner at the Sundance Film Festival, ‘Dark Matter’ is released by High Fliers on retail DVD.


It tells the story of Liu Xing (Liu Ye), a scholarship boy from Beijing and a graduate cosmology student, who arrives at Valley State University in Salt Lake City to continue his studies.
Back in China, Liu Xing's parents are proud of him and he dedicates himself to fulfilling their hopes and expectations.


At first, he finds the transition from his humble background in China to his new life in cosmopolitan America hard to cope with but he is helped by Joanna Silver (Meryl Streep), a wealthy university patron who takes a liking to the young student.


Xing joins a select cosmology group under the direction of his hero, the world famous cosmologist Professor Jacob Reiser (Aidan Quinn). The group is working to create a model of the origins of the Universe, based on Reiser's theory.


Xing's enormous talent soon leads to him becoming Reiser's protégé and it seems that nothing will stand between him and a very bright future as a Scientist.


However, Xing is obsessed with the study of ‘dark matter’, an unseen substance which he believes is inextricably linked to the origins of the Universe, and when his theories start challenging Professor Reisner’s work, Reisner becomes jealous and decides to stop Xing progressing any further.


As a result, Xing’s future in Science suddenly seems shattered and unable to bear the humiliation, he returns to the campus with a loaded gun looking for revenge.


‘Dark Matter’ has a run time of 88 minutes, a 15 certificate and a recommended retail price of £12.99. 

A MAN VANISHES

A MAN VANISHES (Masters of Cinema) is to be released in the UK on DVD on 24 October 2011

---

SYNOPSIS:

It is difficult to summarise Shōhei Imamura's legendary 1967 film, the first picture produced by Japan's countercultural Art Theatre Guild (ATG). Is it a documentary that turns into a fiction? A narrative film from beginning to end? A record of improvisation populated with actors or non-actors (and in what proportion)? Is it the investigation into a true disappearance, or a work merely inspired by actual events? Even at the conclusion of its final movement, A Man Vanishes [Ningen jōhatsu, or The Unexplained Disappearance of a Human Being] mirrors its subject in deflecting inquiries into the precise nature of its own being.

A middle-class salaryman has gone missing — possibly of his own accord — and a film crew has set out to assemble a record of the man and the events surrounding his disappearance. As the crew meticulously builds a cachet of interviews with the man's family and lovers, their subject and his motivations become progressively more elusive — until the impossibility of the endeavour seems to transform the very film itself.

Long unavailable anywhere on home video, Imamura's A Man Vanishes remains a unique and crucial entry in a provocative filmmaker's body of work, daring as it does to ask the big questions: what is reality, and what is a man?

Directed by the great Japanese director Shōhei Imamura, A Man Vanishes is one of the most requested, influential, and acclaimed pseudo-documentaries ever made.  Taken from a new high-definition restoration which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, the Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present A Man Vanishes for the first time on DVD in the UK, in an impressive new restoration.

---

SPECIAL EDITION DVD FEATURES:

• New high-definition restoration of the film

• New and improved English subtitle translation

• Exclusive new video interview with scholar Tony Rayns

• More extras to be announced closer to the release date.

• PLUS: A lavish booklet featuring rare archival imagery, and more!

   

---

DETAILS:

Label: Eureka Entertainment Ltd

Catalogue No: EKA40343 (RETAIL ONLY)

Barcode: 5060000403435

RRP: £20.42

Release Date: 24 October 2011

Certificate: TBC

Run Time: 130 min. approx.

Format:  1.37:1 OAR/ B&W

Genre: Documentary/ Drama

Director: Shōhei IMAMURA

Year: 1967

Country:  Japan

Language: Japanese

Subtitles: English (Optional)

JOIN THE INBETWEENERS ON THEIR VIRTUAL HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME

Missing your weekly fix of Will, Jay, Simon and Neil? Then check out the latest parody video from The Sims of the highly anticipated movie for the infinitely popular TV show, The Inbetweeners.  Gain a sneak peek of the sixth-formers holiday of a lifetime in the party town of Malia and have an exclusive preview of their quest for fun, adventure, and of course, girls.  Will the boys finally become men…?

The Sims games have been used to create tongue-in-cheek commentary on popular culture and topical news agenda from across the world for the past 10 years, including the recent royal wedding and The Hangover Part 2.  Now, with The Sims 3, The Sims 3 World Adventures, The Sims 3 Ambitions, The Sims 3 Late Night and The Sims 3 Generations, players can tell even bigger and better stories.

The Yellow Sea

Bounty Films in association with Eureka Entertainment Ltd. present

THE YELLOW SEA

The Yellow Sea, starring Kim Yun-seok is a Korean crime drama directed by Na Hong-jin who won critical acclaim for his previous film The Chaser.  The Yellow Sea was selected to screen as part of the Un Certain Regard programme in Cannes. 

Crushed by gambling debts, Gu-nam (Ha Jung-woo), an ethnic Korean living in Yanbian, China, loses his job.  He plays mah-jong to make some extra cash, but gradually his life only becomes more complicated and pathetic.

One day he meets a hitman named Myun-ga (Kim Yun-seok) and he reluctantly agrees to cross the Yellow Sea and kill a businessman living in Seoul, in return for repayment of his debt. At the same time, he hopes to be reunited with his wife, who has not contacted him since leaving for Korea in search of work six months earlier.

Gu-nam crosses the Yellow Sea and arrives in Seoul. Just before he gets to make his move, his target is murdered right in front of him and he is framed for the killing. Although Gu-nam manages to flee the scene, the police are on his trail. Additionally, the person who ordered the hit is attempting to wipe out all evidence of the crime by eliminating Gu-nam as well as Myun-ga in Yanji City. Now Gu-nam is on the run for the murder he did not commit and chased by those responsible for this mess.

EUREKA ENTERTAINMENT will be distributing The Yellow Sea in the UK & Eire on behalf of BOUNTY FILMS.  The Yellow Sea is set for release on 21 October 2011 in cinemas nationwide.

For press enquiries, please contact:

Steve Hills / Eureka Entertainment / (020) 8459 8054 / steve@eurekavideo.co.uk / Twitter: steve_hills 

Eureka Entertainment, Unit 9 Ironbridge Close, Great Central Way, London NW10 0UF

---

DETAILS:

Starring: KIM YUN-SEOK, HA JUNG-WOO, CHO SEONG-HA, LEE CHUL-MIN

Directed by: Na Hong-jin

Country: Korea

Year: 2010

Duration: 140 minutes

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Sound: Dolby 5.1

Picture: Colour

Cert: TBC

UK & Eire Theatrical Release Date: 21 October 2011
Opening in cinemas nationwide

Latvian Ambassador to open University film and culture event

Latvian film and culture will be celebrated at a special two-day academic and film event at The University of Northampton’s Avenue Campus over 9-10 September, 2011.

The event will be opened by the Latvian Ambassador to the UK, Eduards Stiprais, and is called ‘Laižam’. The occasion will celebrate Northamptonshire's ethnic diversity while also marking the 20^th anniversary of the re-established Latvian state.

The films to be shown have never been screened before in the UK, and include a new community film about Latvians living in Northamptonshire.

Ted Sullivan, Event co-ordinator and Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Media Studies, said: "This exciting event will look back at 20 years of Latvian culture to 1991, when changes within the former Soviet Union produced an awakening of national identity throughout Eastern Europe.

"Latvia is one of the three Baltic republics which regained sovereignty following the break up of the Soviet Union during the late 1980s and early ‘90s. The events of that time were documented by legendary Latvian filmmaker Juris Podnieks in his film 'Homeland', which we will also be screening.

"We are privileged to have the current director of Juris Podnieks’ studio, Antra Cilinska, at the conference to present an insider's view of that time and of Podnieks' film legacy."

‘Laižam’ will feature recent examples of Latvian cinema, courtesy of the National Film Centre in Riga, as well as an exhibition of photographs, 'A Day in the Life of Latvia'.

Additionally, Ivars Ijabs, a noted academic and historian from the University of Latvia will give a critical overview of the events of 20 years ago and will explore how cultural and political life in Latvia is likely to develop over the next two decades.

One of the event highlights will be the premier of a community film which tells the story of Latvians who have come to live in Northamptonshire and the East Midlands since the Second World War. The film has been produced by two first time filmmakers, Corby businessman Agris Krumins and his daughter Sarma, a former Fine Art foundation student at The University of Northampton. They want to give an inside view of the three generations of Latvians who have lived in the UK and how they feel about their homeland today.

Although neither have had any formal film training they have been able to undertake this project with the help of the staff and facilities at the University’s School of The Art's Film, Media and Communication division.

"This film has been something I’ve wanted to do for some time," explained Agris Krumins, who grew up in Corby. "I am pleased that we have been able to undertake this project while also showcasing the talents of Latvian film makers who have emerged over the past 20 years."

‘Laižam’ will include a special seminar on Latvian media in the 21st century presented by Datsa Gaile, a current business student at The University of Northampton and owner of Anglo Baltic News, a monthly Latvian language newspaper based in Northampton.

Datsa added: "‘Laižam’ is providing a cultural focal point for our readers and will help build a broader understanding between the generations who often have contrasting views of Latvia."

For details go to:

http://www.northampton.ac.uk/laizam

RED5’s appWheel iPhone Wheel puts you in the driving seat

...Take a pit stop and upgrade your iPhone or iPod touch to the ultimate driving accessory...

London, Friday 12th August – RED5.co.uk, the ultimate gadget shop, is launching another ingenious app fuelled accessory.   Designed to make mobile racing more authentic, the appWheel iPhone Wheel uses your iPhone or iPod touch to give you the most realistic driving experience you can get with your Apple device.  Available for £9.95 from www.RED5.co.uk, this nifty steering wheel fits seamlessly around your device, providing realistic steering simulation and bringing app powered racing to life.

Suitable for iPod touch (4^th Generation), iPhone 3, 3GS and 4, the appWheel iPhone Wheel will maximise your racing experience whilst allowing precise in-game control.  The wheel been made to take full advantage of the phone’s in-built accelerometer creating a realistic driving set-up.  And if that wasn’t enough, its ergonomic design still allows users full access to the touch screen as well as the main device control button, so using the appWheel doesn’t deprive access to your beloved iDevice. Most importantly, it is compatible with every accelerometer driving app available for iOS, making this is an app accessory every gaming driver should put on their Most Wanted list.

So, grab the appWheel iPhone Wheel and become the ultimate app racer; turning even the most mundane of locations into the most exhilarating of racetracks.  Just try not to damage anything, or anyone, on your way to grand prix glory.

THE WILDEST DREAM: CONQUEST OF EVEREST

UK TELEVISION PREMIERE - BBC TWO – 9pm, WEDNESDAY 17^th AUGUST 2011


Narrated by Liam Neeson


Featuring the voices of Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Hugh Dancy and Alan Rickman

Altitude Films presents THE WILDEST DREAM: CONQUEST OF EVEREST. This stunning feature documentary, directed by BAFTA and Emmy^® award-winning filmmaker, Anthony Geffen (released in cinemas in 2010), follows a team of modern climbers as they retrace the footsteps of British explorer George Mallory who disappeared near the top of Everest in 1924. Mallory’s disappearance is one of Britain’s greatest unsolved mysteries: could he have reached the summit of Everest 29 years before Sir Edmund Hillary?

Dressed in gabardine and wearing hobnailed boots, Mallory risked everything in pursuit of his dream.  He was last seen alive just 800 feet below the mountain’s peak, before the clouds closed in and he disappeared into legend. Mallory’s death stunned the world. In 1999, renowned mountaineer Conrad Anker discovered Mallory’s frozen body high in the mountain’s “death zone” and his life became intertwined with Mallory’s story. Remarkably, all Mallory’s belongings were found intact on his body. The only thing missing was a photograph of his wife, Ruth, which Mallory had promised to place on the summit if he succeeded. Haunted by the story, Anker returns to Everest to solve the enduring mystery surrounding the ill-fated expedition and the disappearance of one of the world’s greatest explorers.

THE WILDEST DREAM is a story of obsession and breathtaking adventure, told through the explorer’s poignant and evocative correspondence with his wife and using previously unseen photos and original footage shot on Everest in 1924.  Anker and British rock-climbing prodigy Leo Houlding embark on their own quest to conquer Everest, following the original North East Ridge route taken by Mallory in 1924 to discover whether he and fellow climber Andrew “Sandy” Irvine could have reached the summit. To find out if Mallory could have succeeded, Conrad and Leo must scale the infamous Second Step, which has never been free climbed, a 90 foot sheer rock wall with a 7,000 foot drop, just as Mallory and Irvine would have had to do eight decades earlier.

THE WILDEST DREAM is narrated by Liam Neeson and features the voices of Ralph Fiennes as George Mallory, the late Natasha Richardson as Ruth Mallory, Hugh Dancy as Andrew “Sandy” Irvine and Alan Rickman as Noel Odell, the last person to see Mallory alive.

THE WILDEST DREAM is an award-winning film produced by Altitude Films in association with Atlantic Productions. It is directed by Anthony Geffen, in his first collaboration with executive producer Mike Medavoy, who has been behind seven Best Picture Academy Award-winning films. Produced by Anthony Geffen and Claudia Perkins with Peter Miller as the editor. Directors of photography are Ken Sauls and Chris Openshaw. Joel Douek composed the music.

THE WILDEST DREAM: CONQUEST OF EVEREST will be broadcast on

BBC Two on Wednesday 17^th August at 9pm. Running Time 89 minutes.